Red, White and Orange (?) Wine
CrushBrew Editorial · Wine Knowledge · 6 min read
People in the wine world go back and forth on it. It’s been called the “hipster of the wine world.” The majority of wine-drinking Americans have never tried it. What is this phenomenon? Orange wine. Yes, it exists. No, it has nothing to do with the citrus fruit — and once you understand what it actually is, it becomes one of the more interesting things you’ll find on a wine list.
In This Guide
What Exactly Is Orange Wine?
Orange wine is technically a form of white wine — it’s made from white wine grapes — but the production process resembles red wine more than white. In conventional white winemaking, the grapes are pressed quickly after harvest and the juice is fermented without prolonged contact with the skins. With orange wine, the juice and grape skins are left together for an extended period — anywhere from a few days to several months — before pressing. This skin contact is exactly what red winemaking does with red grapes, and it produces exactly the same effects: color from the grape skins, tannins extracted into the wine, and a more complex, textured result than a conventionally made white would produce.
Orange wine (also: skin-contact wine, amber wine)
A white wine made by leaving the grape juice in extended contact with the grape skins during fermentation — the same process used in red winemaking. The skin contact extracts color (ranging from golden to deep amber), tannins, and phenolic compounds into the wine, resulting in a wine with the acidity of a white and the texture and tannin structure of a light red. The characteristic amber color gives the style its most common name. Also called “skin-contact wine” or “amber wine” in some regions and contexts.
What you end up with is something that doesn’t fit neatly into the white-or-red binary most wine drinkers use to navigate a wine list. Orange wine has white wine’s freshness and acidity. It has red wine’s tannins and texture. And it has color and oxidative complexity that neither white nor red conventionally produces. It occupies its own category — which is part of why it keeps provoking strong reactions from people who try it for the first time, in both directions.
Orange Wine vs. White Wine vs. Red Wine
| Characteristic | White Wine | Orange Wine | Red Wine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grape color | White/green | White/green | Red/black |
| Skin contact | None (or minimal) | Extended (days to months) | Extended |
| Color | Pale yellow to gold | Golden to deep amber | Ruby to deep purple |
| Tannins | None to minimal | Moderate (from skins) | Moderate to high |
| Acidity | High | High (retains white character) | Moderate |
| Minerality | Often present | Often pronounced | Varies by variety |
Where Does Orange Wine Come From?
Orange wine is not a recent invention by a long margin. Skin-contact white winemaking is among the oldest methods of fermenting wine in human history — the country of Georgia has evidence of qvevri-based winemaking (large buried clay vessels used for fermentation and aging) dating back at least 6,000 years. The Georgians fermented white grapes on their skins as a matter of course; the resulting amber wine was simply wine. The style also appears in the ancient winemaking traditions of neighboring Armenia and the broader Caucasus region.
The qvevri: where orange wine was born
A qvevri (also spelled kvevri) is a large egg-shaped clay vessel, coated inside with beeswax, traditionally buried up to its neck in the ground for insulation. In Georgian winemaking, white grapes — skins, seeds, and sometimes stems — were loaded into the qvevri and left to ferment and age together, sometimes for months or years. The clay is porous, allowing slow micro-oxygenation; the burial maintains stable temperatures year-round; and the skin contact during fermentation produced wines with depth, tannin, and amber color. UNESCO recognized Georgian qvevri winemaking traditions in 2013 as intangible cultural heritage. Some producers today — including in Georgia, Friuli, and California — still use qvevri or similar clay amphora for orange wine production.
The modern revival of orange wine began not in Georgia but in northeastern Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia and across the border in Slovenia’s Brda wine region in the 1990s and early 2000s, where pioneering producers like Joško Gravner and Stanko Radikon began experimenting with extended skin maceration after decades of conventional white winemaking. From there the style spread through Italy, Croatia, France, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, and eventually the United States — specifically California and New York, which have produced some of the most respected American orange wines.
How Is Orange Wine Made — and Why Does It Look Like That?
The color — burnt orange, dark honey, deep amber — comes from two sources: the tannins and pigments extracted from the grape skins during maceration, and oxidation during fermentation and aging. Many orange wines are fermented or aged in open-top vessels — clay pots, open-top barrels, or amphora — that expose the wine to air. This intentional oxidation is not a flaw. It produces the complex, slightly nutty, sometimes dried-fruit character that distinguishes orange wine from both fresh whites and red wines.
The result sits somewhere between white and red in flavor terms — with white wine’s brightness and acidity intact, but a texture and tannic structure more like a light red. The minerality that characterizes many fine white wines is often pronounced in orange wine, amplified rather than muted by the skin contact.
What Do You Pair Orange Wine With?
Pairing orange wine is where the hybrid nature of the style actually works in your favor. The combination of white-wine acidity and red-wine tannins opens up a range of food options that would be challenging for either a conventional white or red to handle on its own.
Think earthy, meaty, and salty
Orange wine’s tannins handle richness and fat the way a red does; its acidity cuts through and refreshes the palate the way a white does. This makes it unusually versatile with dishes that would overwhelm a conventional white but might be too delicate for a full red. Foods with earthy, umami, or savory character — roasted mushrooms, charcuterie, aged cheeses, game birds, root vegetables, dishes with bone broth or fermented components — are natural matches. The oxidative notes in many orange wines also echo the flavors of aged or fermented foods, creating a complementary rather than contrasting pairing.
Food Pairings by Style
| Food Category | Why It Works | Specific Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Charcuterie and cured meats | Tannins cut fat; acidity refreshes | Prosciutto, salami, mortadella, pâté |
| Aged and semi-firm cheeses | Matches complexity and umami | Aged Gruyère, manchego, pecorino, comté |
| Roasted and earthy vegetables | Earthy flavors echo oxidative notes | Roasted mushrooms, beets, root vegetables, squash |
| Game birds and poultry | Handles richness without overwhelming | Squab, quail, duck, chicken with herbs |
| Fermented and umami foods | Complementary flavor profiles | Miso, soy-glazed dishes, kimchi, aged miso soup |
As with all wine pairing, follow your own palate first. The conventional rules around orange wine are more guideline than gospel — if you like it with a particular dish, that’s the right answer. But if you’re trying orange wine for the first time and want a starting point: charcuterie, a board of aged cheeses, or anything earthy and savory will give you a context that lets the wine show what it does best.
Where to Try Orange Wine
The three producers and venues below are places worth seeking out — in Arizona, California, and New York.
Frequently Asked Questions About Orange Wine
🍊 Orange Wine — Quick Reference
Everything you need to know in one place
| Topic | |
|---|---|
| What it is | White wine grapes fermented with extended skin contact — like making red wine, but from white grapes |
| Also called | Skin-contact wine; amber wine |
| Color | Golden to deep amber — the longer the skin contact, the deeper the color |
| Flavor | White wine acidity + red wine tannins; dried fruit, honey, herbs, minerality; oxidative complexity |
| Origins | Georgia (country) ~4000 BCE; modern revival in Friuli/Slovenia, 1990s–2000s |
| Production method | Skin maceration (days to months); often open-top or clay vessel; minimal intervention |
| Food pairing | Charcuterie, aged cheese, roasted earthy vegetables, game birds, umami-rich dishes |
| Serve at | ~55–60°F / 13–15°C — warmer than white wine; use a larger glass |
| Try in Arizona | Caffe Boa, 398 S. Mill Ave, Tempe — dedicated orange wine section on their wine list |
| Try from California | Scholium Project “Prince in His Caves” — Sauvignon Blanc from Farina Vineyard, Sonoma |
| Try from New York | Channing Daughters “Meditazione” — skin-fermented white blend, Bridgehampton, Long Island |
